Of course, the solution for many of us is simple: end the aid as well as our presence in this country. We continue to have states selling off parks, curtailing school programs, and ending programs due to a lack of money while we burn billions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Karzai has thanked us by repeatedly stating that he would prefer to be with the Taliban and polls show that the U.S. is deeply hated by citizens in both countries despite our loss of thousands of lives.
The Iraqi government stated that it intends to send overdue tax bills to U.S. contractors. Afghan Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal said that the announcement shows that the Karzai government is “serious against tax evasion.” Not corruption, mind you, but tax evasion. It seems that the key is that everyone must pay into the government so that Karzai family members and friends can then steal the money with impunity.
The unraveling scene in Iraq is another example of a political failure of leadership in this country. Neither the President nor members of Congress are willing to expose themselves politically by demanding a withdrawal of U.S. troops. Instead, we continue to sacrifice the lives of our military and spend hundreds of billions of dollars. Now that contractors are going to be taxed, they are likely to internalize those costs and then pass them on to the taxpayer in future aid contracts.
It is a good thing the Vice President Joe Biden did not stop over to continue his “celebration” over the status in Iraq this month. The large-party gratuity fees for the party would have been a killer.
Jonathan Turley